Cricket: Five-star Best helps West Indies rout Bangladesh

DHAKA: Paceman Tino Best grabbed his maiden five-wicket haul to help the West Indies beat Bangladesh by 77 runs in the first Test in an exciting fifth day finish at Shere Bangla stadium on Saturday.

The 31-year-old paceman took three wickets in the post lunch session and added another in the final session, finishing with 5-24 to rout Bangladesh for a paltry 167 after they were set a 245-run target.

Best dismissed Shahriar Nafees (23), Shakib Al Hasan (two) and Mushfiqur Rahim (16) in quick succession and then had Bangladesh's top scorer Mohammad Mahmudullah (29) to give his team a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

The second and final Test will be played in Khulna from November 21.

Bangladesh, seeking their second win at home and fourth overall in Test cricket, lost openers Tamim Iqbal (five) and Junaid Siddique (20) in a disappointing start.

Siddiqui became Best's first victim in the innings before lunch.

But worse was to come for the Tigers as Best caught Nafees miscuing a pull off his own bowling and in his next over had Bangladesh's best batsman Shakib Al Hasan caught behind.

Rahim looked good initially but Best returned for a second spell to trap the Bangladeshi skipper in front of the wicket to derail Bangladesh to 85-5.

Sixteen runs later, Veerasammy Permaul had Naeem Islam lbw after the first innings century maker had made only 26. Permaul also dismissed Nasir Hossain for 21 and Sohag Gazi (19) to finish with 3-32 on his debut.

It was another disappointing batting display by the home team which ended in their 64th defeat in 74 Tests since gaining Test status in 2000 -- a matter of great criticism in the cricketing world.

West Indian captain Darren Sammy heaped praise on his bowlers.

"Bangladesh played really well, but credit must go to our bowlers and batsmen. It turned out to be a very good wicket after 1000 runs in the first two innings, but there was something in the final stages of the match," said Sammy.

"The team has a whole new belief and we are trying to get more consistent in Tests. We are looking to improve with every game."

Sammy's Bangladesh counterpart, meanwhile, bemoaned a lack of partnerships in his team's second innings.

"In this Test, we competed well. Test cricket is the biggest challenge and we don't play that many, but we really did well in the first innings, but lack of partnerships in the second let us down," said Rahim.

"We are 1-0 down but we have lots of positives from this Test and hopefully we can come back hard."

Earlier, Bangladesh were put on course for a win by off-spinner Gazi whose 6-74 are the best figures by a home bowler on debut.

Gazi had Sammy in the third over of the day after the tourists resumed at 244-6 to raise home hopes.

He then took two wickets in one over to record his maiden five wicket haul in his debut Test, cleaning up Ravi Rampaul (five) and Best (nought) off successive deliveries.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who hit 203 not out, came out to bat at number eleven because of illness and although he averted a hat-trick he was trapped leg-before for just one.

Gazi became only the third Bangladeshi bowler behind Naimur Rahman and Elias Sunny to grab five or more wickets in his debut Test, but his 6-74 is the best among the trio.

- AFP/de

Read More..

Tendulkar, cricketing fraternity pay tributes to Bal Thackeray

NEW DELHI: The cricketing fraternity today condoled the sad demise of Bal Thackeray with fellow Maharashtrian Sachin Tendulkar leading the pack, saying the Shiv Sena patriarch will "always be remembered and missed".

Tendulkar said Thackeray's demise is a "terrible loss" for Maharashtra and he would have personally liked to pay his last respects to the Shiv Sena supremo had he not been playing in the first cricket Test against England in Ahmedabad.

"Really sad to hear about Balasaheb's demise. His contribution to Maharashtra was immense. It's a terrible loss and he will always be remembered and missed," Tendulkar said in a message on his facebook page.

"Unfortunately I am in Ahmedabad as I would have liked to pay my last respects personally. My condolences to his family. May God rest his soul in peace," he added.

The 86-year-old cartoonist-turned politician, Thackeray, known for his strong views and speaking his mind, breathed his last at 3.30pm at his residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra after after having been critically ill for the past few days.

Tendulkar was joined by team-mate Harbhajan Singh in paying tributes to Thackeray.

"Rip to great bala saheb thackeray ji.you wil be missed.very sad to hear the news. condolence to the family. respect," the off-spinner wrote on his twitter page.

Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma also paid his respects to Thackeray on his twitter page.

"Roaring tiger of Mumbai-Maharashtra is no more..rip balasaheb thackeray," he wrote.

IPL chairman and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Rajeev Shukla also offered his condolences on twitter.

"I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the Thakre Family on the passing away of Shri Bal Thakre. May his soul rest in eternal peace," said Shukla, who is also the vice-president of BCCI.

Read More..

EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.

There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.

Meningitis mainly affects infants and children. It kills about 8 percent of patients and leaves others with lifelong consequences such as brain damage.

In a statement on Friday, Andrin Oswald of Novartis said he is "proud of the major advance" the company has made in developing its vaccine Bexsero. It is aimed at children over two months of age, and Novartis is hoping countries will include the shot among the routine ones for childhood diseases such as measles.

Novartis said the immunization has had side effects such as fever and redness at the injection site.

Recommendations from the European Medicines Agency are usually adopted by the European Commission. Novartis also is seeking to test the vaccine in the U.S.

Read More..

Israel Targets Hamas Headquarters

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Israel's Air Force reduced the headquarters of the militant group Hamas to rubble. It was one of several Hamas buildings and homes targeted, part of Israel's continuing effort to destroy the group's command and control structure as speculation mounts over an Israeli ground invasion.

The Israel Defense Forces released aerial drone video of the attack on the government building, the seat of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Hanniyeh. Israeli warplanes have also struck the main police station, the interior ministry and the homes of top Hamas leaders.

As of Saturday morning, almost 900 "terror sites" had been targeted by Israel, including weapons caches and rocket launching sites. Around 600 rockets have been fired into Israel by Hamas and other militant groups, around a third of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, according to the Israeli military.

The loud thud of Israeli missiles hitting Gaza and the buzz of drones overhead were consistent on Saturday, as Israeli tanks and troops massed on the border in preparation of a ground invasion. Israeli media also reported that 20,000 reservists have been called up.

PHOTOS: Airstrikes and Rocket Attacks Continue

"We are preparing for any possibility, a ground invasion is a possibility although it hasn't been decided at this point," said IDF spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Liebovich. "We are ready to continue this operation "Pillar of Defense "until the peace and quiet and normality will return."

Israel Showdown: Tel Aviv Braces for More Rocket Attacks Watch Video

On Friday, Jerusalem was targeted for the first time in this escalation by militants in Gaza. A rocket landed around ten miles south near the West Bank Israeli settlements of Gush Etzion. And for the second day, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv as a rocket landed off the coast.

Three Israelis were killed Thursday by a rocket attack in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi. As of Saturday morning 39 Palestinians had been killed, among them more than half were civilians, according to Gaza health officials.

"Up until now we can say the situation is stable," Dr. Ayman al-Sahbani, the head of the emergency unit at Gaza's main al-Shifa hospital, said on Friday. "If it continues, we can't [cope]. Of course we can't. We hope to stop the [Israeli] aggression."

Israel's Iron Dome Proves Effective

Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil visited the strip for three hours Friday morning, raising hope a ceasefire would be brokered. Qandil and the Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, are both from the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an offshoot. They have the delicate task of trying to coordinate between Hamas, Israel and the United States.

"What I am witnessing in Gaza is a disaster and I can't keep quiet," Qandil said, "The Israeli aggression must stop."
Israel says this operation, dubbed "Pillar of Defense," is the result of the rockets that regularly fly into southern Israel from Gaza. This operation started when Israel assassinated the top commander of Hamas' military wing, Ahmed Jabari.

"As long as Israel keeps killing us, we will keep defending ourselves by any means possible," the spokesman of Islamic Jihad, Daoud Shahab said in an interview. "If Israel stops its aggression, we are ready to stop firing the rockets."

In Washington, the Obama administration reiterated its view that Israel has the right to defend itself.

"It's a matter of the international community and particularly regional states with influence to do what they can to make clear to Hamas that this is not benefiting the cause of the Palestinian people, and it's certainly not benefiting the cause of regional stability," said State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland.

Read More..

Israel hits Hamas government buildings, reservists mobilized

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas government buildings in Gaza on Saturday, including the prime minister's office, after Israel's cabinet authorized the mobilization of up to 75,000 reservists, preparing for a possible ground invasion.

Palestinian militants in Gaza kept up their cross-border rocket salvoes. One rocket hit an apartment building in the Israeli Mediterranean port city of Ashdod, ripping into several balconies, and police said five people were injured.

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip, said Israeli missiles wrecked the office building of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh - where he had met on Friday with the Egyptian prime minister - and struck a police headquarters.

With Israeli tanks and artillery positioned along the Gaza border and no end in sight to hostilities now in their fourth day, Tunisia's foreign minister travelled to the enclave in a show of Arab solidarity.

Officials in Gaza said 41 Palestinians, nearly half of them civilians including eight children and a pregnant woman, had been killed since Israel began its air strikes. Three Israeli civilians were killed by a rocket on Thursday.

In Cairo, a presidential source said Egypt's leader, Mohamed Mursi, would hold four-way talks with the Qatari emir, the prime minister of Turkey and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in the Egyptian capital on Saturday to discuss the Gaza crisis.

Egypt has been working to reinstate calm between Israel and Hamas after an informal ceasefire brokered by Cairo broke down over the past weeks. Meshaal, who lives in exile, has already held a round of talks with Egyptian security officials.

Israel started its massive air campaign on Wednesday with the declared aim of deterring Hamas from launching rockets that have plagued its southern communities for years.

The operation has drawn Western support for what U.S. and European leaders have called Israel's right to self-defense, along with appeals to both sides to avoid civilian casualties.

Hamas, shunned by the West over its refusal to recognize Israel, says its cross-border attacks have come in response to Israeli strikes against Palestinian fighters in Gaza.

"We have not limited ourselves in means or in time," Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Israel's Channel One television. "We hope that it will end as soon as possible, but that will be only after all the objectives have been achieved."

Hamas says it is committed to continued confrontation with Israel and is eager not to seem any less resolute than smaller, more radical groups that have emerged in Gaza in recent years.

The Islamist movement has ruled Gaza since 2007. Israel pulled settlers out of Gaza in 2005 but has maintains a blockade of the tiny, densely populated coastal territory.

RESERVE TROOP QUOTA DOUBLED

At a late night session on Friday, Israel's cabinet decided to more than double the current reserve troop quota set for the Gaza offensive to 75,000, political sources said.

The move did not necessarily mean all would be called up or that an invasion would follow. Tanks and self-propelled guns were seen near the sandy border zone on Saturday, and around 16,000 reservists have already been called to active duty.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit Israel and Egypt next week to push for an end to the fighting in Gaza, U.N. diplomats said on Friday.

Israel rushed an "Iron Dome" missile interceptor battery to the Tel Aviv area on Saturday after the city, its commercial centre, came under rocket fire from Gaza on Friday for the second straight day.

The Tel Aviv beachfront was bustling on a sunny weekend day.

In Jerusalem, targeted by a Palestinian rocket on Friday for the first time in four decades, there was little outward sign on the Jewish Sabbath that the attack had any impact on the usually placid pace of life in the holy city.

Some Gaza families abandoned their homes - some of them damaged and others situated near potential Israeli targets - and packed into the houses of friends and relatives.

GAZA TARGETS

The Israeli army said it had zeroed in on a number of government buildings during the night, including Haniyeh's office, the Hamas Interior Ministry and a police compound.

Taher al-Nono, a spokesman for the Hamas government, held a news conference near the rubble of the prime minister's office and pledged: "We will declare victory from here."

A three-storey house belonging to Hamas official Abu Hassan Salah was also hit and totally destroyed early on Saturday. Rescuers said at least 30 people were pulled from the rubble.

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama commended Egypt's efforts to help defuse the Gaza violence in a call to Mursi on Friday, the White House said in a statement, and underscored his hope of restoring stability there.

On Friday, Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil paid a high-profile visit to Gaza, denouncing what he called Israeli aggression and saying Cairo was prepared to mediate a truce.

Egypt's Islamist government is allied with Hamas but Cairo is also party to a 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

In a call to Netanyahu, Obama discussed options for "de-escalating" the situation, the White House said, adding that the president "reiterated U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself, and expressed regret over the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives".

The Gaza conflagration has stirred the pot of a Middle East already boiling from two years of Arab revolution and a civil war in Syria that threatens to spread beyond its borders.

Hamas fighters are no match for the Israeli military. The last Gaza war, involving a three-week long Israeli air blitz and ground invasion over the New Year period of 2008-09, killed over 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Thirteen Israelis died.

While Hamas rejects the Jewish state's existence, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who rules in areas of the nearby West Bank not occupied by Israelis, does recognize Israel but peace talks between the two sides have been frozen since 2010.

(Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell, Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Read More..

'Tough compromises' needed in fiscal cliff talks: Obama

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said Friday that Democrats and Republicans needed to make "tough compromises" in order to overcome divisions over deficit reduction and avoid the fiscal cliff.

Opening talks aimed at avoiding a year-end tax and spending crunch that could send the economy back to recession, Obama welcomed congressional leaders from both parties at the White House, saying Americans want action from them.

"Our challenge is to make sure that we're able to cooperate together, work together, find some common ground, make some tough compromises, build some consensus to do the people's business," Obama said.

The American people "want to see that we are focused on them, not on the politics here in Washington," he said.

"My hope is this is going to be the beginning of a fruitful process, that we're able to come to agreement that will reduce our deficit in a balanced way, that we will deal with some of these long-term impediments to growth."

Obama stressed the argument he made in a press conference Wednesday that the priority is to make sure huge tax hikes slated to hit on January first, potentially sucking $400 billion out of the economy, don't happen.

But he did not repeat his call that tax increases for the richest two per cent of Americans go ahead -- an issue that Republicans have rejected.

"We have to make sure that taxes don't go up on middle class families and that our economy remains strong and creating jobs, and that's an agenda that Democrats and Republicans and Independents, people all across the country share," he said.

- AFP/fa

Read More..

Savita's death: India summons Irish envoy, conveys anger

NEW DELHI: India today summoned the Irish ambassador to convey its "concern and angst" over the untimely and tragic death of an Indian dentist in Ireland after doctors allegedly refused to terminate her 17-week-long pregnancy on the ground that it was a "Catholic country".

In his response, the ambassador assured that it was Ireland's desire to provide the fullest cooperation in the follow-up inquiries into the circumstances of Savita Halappanavar's death.

Madhusudan Ganapathi, secretary (West) in the ministry of external affairs, summoned Irish ambassador Feilim McLaughlin.

"During his meeting with the Irish ambassador, secretary (West) expressed India's concern and angst in the society about the untimely and tragic death of Halappanavar. He said that we were unhappy that a young life had come to an untimely end," official sources said.

The secretary also expressed the hope that the inquiry which has been instituted would be independent and that the Indian ambassador in Dublin would be provided with information regarding its progress and outcome.

"The Irish ambassador assured that it was their desire to provide the fullest cooperation of the Irish side in the follow-up inquiries into the circumstances of the death of Halappanavar. He also indicated that the terms of reference for the inquiry are being framed and would be released shortly," the sources said.

Meanwhile, the matter is also being taken up by Indian ambassador in Ireland with the Irish government.

Halappanavar, 31, died in Ireland due to blood poisoning after doctors allegedly refused to terminate her 17-week-long pregnancy, telling her that "this is a Catholic country".

Savita's husband Praveen Halappanavar, an engineer at Boston Scientific in Galway, told the Irish media that his wife had asked several times over a three-day period that the pregnancy be terminated.

This was refused, he said, because the foetal heartbeat was still present and they were told "this is a Catholic country".

Read More..

EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.

There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.

Meningitis mainly affects infants and children. It kills about 8 percent of patients and leaves others with lifelong consequences such as brain damage.

In a statement on Friday, Andrin Oswald of Novartis said he is "proud of the major advance" the company has made in developing its vaccine Bexsero. It is aimed at children over two months of age, and Novartis is hoping countries will include the shot among the routine ones for childhood diseases such as measles.

Novartis said the immunization has had side effects such as fever and redness at the injection site.

Recommendations from the European Medicines Agency are usually adopted by the European Commission. Novartis also is seeking to test the vaccine in the U.S.

Read More..

Hero Vet Dies Saving Wife in Texas Parade Crash

Police have identified the four servicemen who died in Midland, Texas, when a freight train plowed into a parade float carrying wounded veterans and their spouses at a crossing, one of whom, a Purple Heart winner, saved his wife by pushing her to safety before he died.

Army SGM Gary Stouffer, 37, and 47-year-old Army SGM Lawrence Boivin were pronounced dead at the scene, police said, after the float carrying wounded veterans and their families to an honorary banquet was struck by a Union Pacific train around 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The train struck as the parade was crossing the tracks, turning the honorary event into a scene of destruction.

Army SGT Joshua Michael, 34, and 43-year-old Army SGM William Lubbers were transported from the scene and later pronounced dead at Midland Memorial Hospital, according to the Midland Police.

Seventeen people in all were transported to the hospital and 10 were treated and released. Four people were in stable condition and one is in critical condition as of this morning.

Michael was killed in the crash but was able to save his wife, his mother-in-law told the Amarillo Globe-News.

"He pushed his wife off the float -- my daughter," Mary Hefley told the newspaper. "He was that kind of guy. He always had a smile on his face. He would do for others before he would do for himself."

Hefley said Michael retired from the Army due to health reasons.

AP | Courtesy Mary Hefley

Train Hits 18-Wheeler Full of Veterans, 4 Dead Watch Video

Oklahoma Teen Sentenced to Church for Manslaughter Watch Video

According to a website set up by Cory Rogers, a friend of Michael's family, the father of two completed two tours of duty in Iraq, and received two Purple Hearts after being wounded in combat.

"His love of country and for his wife, Daylyn and their two children shone through," his family said in a statement on the site. "The family appreciates everyone's thoughts and prayers in this very difficult time."

About two dozen veterans and their spouses had been sitting in chairs on the back of a flatbed tractor-trailer decorated with American flags and signs identifying each veteran.

The first truck crossed the tracks in time, but the second did not, according to Hamid Vatankhah, a witness who owns a used car lot near the scene of the crash.

Sirens from the police cars in the parade may have drowned out the sound of the approaching train, Vatankhah said.
The impact, witnesses say, was deafening as the train plowed through the parade float crossing the tracks in an industrial part of Midland.

"Some people were able to jump, and some that were sitting in wheelchairs on top couldn't do nothing about it," Vatankhah added.

Patricia Howle was sitting traffic with her daughter watching the parade go by when she heard the train honking its horn.

"I just saw people going under the train. There was blood. There was blood all over," said eyewitness Eservando Wisler.

A Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange said it appeared safety devices at the crash site were working. But there were conflicting reports by eyewitnesses about whether the gates went down at the crossing when the train approached.

"I saw the truck crossing the tracks. About halfway across the gates started coming down. The truck tried to blow his horn to get the other people in front of him out of the way. The gates actually hit the first people on the trailer," witness Michael Briggs said.

"Our preliminary findings indicate that the lights and gates were working at the time of the incident and that our train crew sounded the locomotive horn," said Lange.

Read More..

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv under rocket fire, Netanyahu warns Gaza

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian militants nearly hit Jerusalem with a rocket for the first time in decades on Friday and fired at Tel Aviv for a second day, in a stinging challenge to Israel's Gaza offensive after an Egyptian bid to broker a truce.

The attacks came just hours after Egypt's prime minister, denouncing what he described as Israeli aggression, visited the Gaza Strip and said Cairo was prepared to mediate.

Israel began bombing Gaza on Wednesday with an attack that killed the Hamas military chief. It says its campaign is in response to Hamas missiles fired on its territory. Hamas stepped up rocket attacks in response.

Israeli police said a rocket fired from Gaza landed in the Jerusalem area, outside the city, on Friday.

It was the first Palestinian rocket since 1970 to reach the vicinity of the holy city, which Israel claims as its capital, and was likely to spur an escalation in its three-day old air war against militants in Hamas-run Gaza.

Rockets nearly hit Tel Aviv on Thursday for the first time since Saddam Hussein's Iraq fired them during the 1991 Gulf War. An air raid siren rang out on Friday when the commercial centre was targeted again. Motorists crouched next to cars, many with their hands protecting their heads, while pedestrians scurried for cover in building stairwells.

The Jerusalem and Tel Aviv strikes have so far caused no casualties or damage, but could be political poison for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, favored to win re-election in January on the strength of his ability to guarantee security.

"The Israel Defence Forces will continue to hit Hamas hard and are prepared to broaden the action inside Gaza," Netanyahu, signaling a possible ground campaign, said hours earlier.

A Hamas source said the Israeli air force launched an attack on the house of Hamas's commander for southern Gaza which resulted in the death of two civilians, one a child.

Officials in Gaza said 22 Palestinians had been killed in the enclave since Israel began the air offensive with the declared aim of stemming surges of rocket strikes that have disrupted life in southern Israeli towns.

The Palestinian dead include eight militants and 14 civilians, among them seven children and a pregnant woman. Three Israelis were killed by a rocket on Thursday.

A solidarity visit to Gaza by Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, whose Islamist government is allied with Hamas but also party to a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, had appeared to open a tiny window to emergency peace diplomacy.

Kandil said: "Egypt will spare no effort ... to stop the aggression and to achieve a truce."

But a three-hour truce that Israel declared for the duration of Kandil's visit never took hold. Israel said more than 35 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip hit its territory and 86 were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.

Israel denied Palestinian assertions that its aircraft struck while Kandil was in the enclave.

TEL AVIV ROCKET

Israel Radio's military affairs correspondent said the army's Homefront Command had told municipal officials to make civil defense preparations for the possibility that fighting could drag on for seven weeks. An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.

The Gaza conflagration has stoked the flames of a Middle East already ablaze with two years of Arab revolution and a civil war in Syria that threatens to leap across borders.

It is the biggest test yet for Egypt's new President Mohamed Mursi, a veteran Islamist politician from the Muslim Brotherhood who was elected this year after last year's protests ousted military autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood are spiritual mentors of Hamas, yet Mursi has also pledged to respect Cairo's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, seen in the West as the cornerstone of regional security. Egypt and Israel both receive billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to underwrite their treaty.

Mursi has vocally denounced the Israeli military action while promoting Egypt as a mediator, a mission that his prime minister's visit was intended to further.

A Palestinian official close to Egypt's mediators told Reuters Kandil's visit "was the beginning of a process to explore the possibility of reaching a truce. It is early to speak of any details or of how things will evolve".

Meanwhile, Israel has begun drafting 16,000 reserve troops, a possible precursor to invasion. Tanks and self-propelled guns were seen near the border area of Friday.

Hamas fighters are no match for the Israeli military. The last Gaza war, involving a three-week long Israeli air blitz and ground invasion over the New Year period of 2008-2009, killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Thirteen Israelis also died.

Tunisia's foreign minister was due to visit Gaza on Saturday "to provide all political support for Gaza" the spokesman for the Tunisian president, Moncef Marzouki, said in a statement.

The United States asked countries that have contact with Hamas to urge the Islamist movement to stop its rocket attacks.

Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. By contrast, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who rules in the nearby West Bank, does recognize Israel, but peace talks between the two sides have been frozen since 2010.

Abbas's supporters say they will push ahead with a plan to have Palestine declared an "observer state" rather than a mere "entity" at the United Nations later this month.

(Additional reporting by Ori Lewis, Ari Rabinovitch, Jeffrey Heller and Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem; Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Douglas Hamilton; Editing by Peter Graff)

Read More..